Here at 501 on First we are all about amenities for our apartment community, and that includes having an in-apartment washer/dryer setup which means our residents don’t need to haul laundry back and forth from a Rochester laundromat! (And as anyone who has done so can tell you, the convenience of doing laundry right in your apartment is amazing!) In today’s blog post, we offer some tips for laundry day.
Stain Removal
For a quick homemade stain removal solution, mix one part blue dish soap (Dawn) with two parts hydrogen peroxide, and put in a spray bottle. Apply to the stain, let sit for 10 minutes (or longer), and rinse. (Always perform a spot check first to a discreet area of fabric.)
Apply chalk to a fresh stain to absorb grease and aid in stain removal.
Print out a basic stain removal guide and hang it by your washer; that way you will have the solution you need for stains where you need it when you need it.
Sorting Laundry
Use a triple sorter if you have room, one for darks, lights, and colors. This way the sorting is already done when you are ready to toss in a load.
For socks, sort into a zippered mesh bag (one for each member of the household); on laundry day simply zip, wash, dry, and return to owner. No more socks wondering where their mate has gone.
Drying & Folding
To help you to remember to pull air dry items out of a load before throwing everything in the dryer, keep a whiteboard by the washer, and as you put your load in the washer note the items which don’t go in the dryer on the whiteboard.
Put a curtain rod or spring tension shower rod above your washer and dryer to hang things on right out of the dryer to prevent wrinkles.
Put a dry towel in with your wet laundry. It will absorb moisture and help the load dry faster.
If you need to dry a pair of shoes tie the laces loosely together and hang the shoes just inside the dryer door to dry; no more bumping and thumping!
Random Laundry Day Tips
Keep the change. It happens, you end up with newly washed change in the bottom of the washer; put a “tip jar” by your washer and toss the loose change into it; when you have filled it use the coins and cash to reward yourself for all of the laundry you’ve done.
Wash stuffed animals in a mesh bag or use a pillow case (tied at the top).
Go White! Use all white towels for the bathroom and all white socks because they can be bleached.
What are your favorite tips and tricks for getting the laundry done? Please share so we can all benefit, and thanks for reading the 501 on First blog today!